Study Permit Conditions You Must Follow While Studying in Canada

Your study permit is a legal document with conditions

A study permit is not just permission to enter Canada — it is a document that lists conditions you must follow the whole time you study. Some conditions are printed directly on the permit, and others apply by regulation. Following them keeps your status valid; breaking them can put your stay and future applications at risk.

Read your permit carefully when you receive it and check the conditions and expiry date. If anything looks wrong or unclear, contact IRCC through the proper channel rather than guessing.

This is general information, not immigration advice. Conditions and consequences are set by IRCC and can change, so verify the current rules on the official website.

Enrol and stay enrolled at a DLI

A core condition is that you must be enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI) — a school approved to host international students — and stay enrolled, unless you are exempt. Your specific school may be named on the permit.

If you stop being enrolled, or you change to a school or program in a way the rules do not allow without applying first, you may no longer be meeting your conditions. Changing schools or programs has its own process, which you should follow before or as you make the change.

Keep proof of your enrolment, such as official enrolment letters and transcripts, because an officer can ask you to show that you are meeting this condition.

Actively pursue your studies

Beyond simply being registered, you must 'actively pursue' your studies — meaning you are genuinely making progress toward completing your program, not just holding a permit. IRCC describes this as being enrolled and making progress in each academic session, apart from regularly scheduled breaks.

If you need to pause your studies, there are rules about authorised leave. IRCC sets a maximum length for an authorised leave from your program and expects you to resume or change your study situation within that window. The exact limit and what counts as an authorised leave are defined by IRCC, so check the current rule and talk to your school's international student office before taking a break.

Keeping records — leave-approval letters from your DLI, transcripts, and a doctor's note where relevant — helps you show you remained compliant if asked.

• Attend and make genuine progress in your program, not just stay registered.
• Get any leave authorised and keep the approval documentation.
• Resume or change your study situation within IRCC's allowed window after a leave.
• Keep transcripts and enrolment letters as evidence of active study.

Other conditions on your permit

Your permit may carry other conditions, such as whether and how much you may work, where you may study, an expiry date, and sometimes medical conditions. Work rules in particular for study permit holders are set by IRCC and have changed recently, so never assume — confirm the current on-campus and off-campus work rules on the official IRCC website before you work.

You must also leave Canada or extend your stay before your permit expires. The permit's expiry is usually tied to your program length plus extra time; mark it and act early if you need to extend.

Because these conditions vary by person and change over time, read your own permit and verify the current rules on canada.ca rather than relying on what a friend's permit said.

What happens if you break a condition

Not following your conditions is serious. Consequences can include the loss of your status, having to leave Canada, and — depending on the situation — being barred from making certain future applications for a period of time, or facing a removal order.

DLIs also report on the enrolment of their international students to IRCC, and officers can request evidence that you are complying. So compliance is verified, not just assumed.

If you realise you may have fallen out of compliance — for example your enrolment lapsed — act quickly, seek guidance from your school's international student office, and check IRCC's official pages on maintaining or restoring status. Do not ignore it.